That Moment

Here’s how it goes.

You get comfortable in your daily routine, your weekly routine. The way you fill the day, the way you fill your body. The way you do life without thinking: your habits.

Until one day…

“It” happens. The trigger is different for everyone, but is often set off by looking at a picture, trying on that one size of jeans that should fit and don’t, the visit from the Dr. office.

That moment when you realize a million little choice have added up in a big way. The day you know something needs to change.

However, the next step is the popular choice, the emotional choice, and the seemingly easiest choice. We want to feel good NOW, and we want our body to change now. We pick the extreme option with the chiseled woman in a sports bra and six pack (go ahead go back and look at your last program — told you so.) looking for instant gratification. And then, maybe you lose the weight, but the program was so strenuous or the calories were so little that you couldn’t sustain it. So, you go back to the routine that you knew. And you end up right where you started.

It may be your story — It’s many people’s story.
It may be because of a story you’ve written about yourself, with the help of an industry that will always tell you are not enough. An industry that is constantly changing the terms of living well so they can make you more dependent on them. And industry who trains you to trust them to the point you aren’t sure how to do it on your own.

But there’s this crazy tension between knowing you want something different for your life and finding out the crash plan didn’t end like you planned. That answer, that pull to want more for yourself, is never going to be found in a meal plan or a combination of workouts. Are those things bad? No, not necessarily, but in the end those things will not fulfill you.

Here are some foundational truths we can start with:

1 Appreciating, Planning Around, and Consuming Whole Foods

So often, we are on the run. We buy for convenience, not sure of what is exactly in our food, much less where it came from; hoping the claims on the front of the box will meet our body’s needs.

What if you committed to substituting a meal or two this week where you knew every ingredient? Or if you want to go one more step: What if you could buy those ingredient locally and know where they came from. Or next time you go out to eat maybe you skip a couple of fast food options so you can invest in a small business who is sourcing locally and making your food from scratch.

Where do I start?

Being aware of what you are eating:
Take a look at the food label – if you couldn’t whip it up yourself – maybe skip it.
Breakfast: An egg, avocado, and tomato. All whole food, all delicious.
Dinner: A roast with vegetables or a fall stew in the crockpot.

Write Out A Plan for the Week:
This will not only help with making health-full choices at the grocery store, but also help you with a plan when you are hungry.

Local Buys: Check out the Local Harvest website to find farms and markets in your area.